Animated Old Photos of US Cities Takes You On Time Travel

Animated Old Photos of US Cities Takes You On Time Travel.

Russian photographer and animator Alexey Zakharov based in Moscow, found old photos of US cities between 1900s and 1940 and brought them to life. Zakharov said, “The main part of this video was made with camera projection based on photos.” It’s a “photo-based animation project” that offers a “travel back in time with a little steam-punk time machine”. Animated Old Photos of US Cities Takes You On Time Travel.

The 36-year-old separated moving and static elements of each image, and used 3D models to create animations.

Zakharov says there are two main stages to creating animation from photos.
The first involves something known as ‘camera projection’, which allows him to separate the static and moving parts of each image. ‘A picture, cut into layers is projected on the geometry created by 3D software,’ he explained. ‘I use this geometry to set city backgrounds, buildings and other static elements. The second stage is creating full computer graphics of characters people, animals, vehicles etc.’

The four-minute film which took almost an year to be created and takes you on a journey through famous landmarks such as Central Park in New York and the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards, Baltimore.

The photos accurately show New York, Boston, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore in early 1900s. The animations bring the photographs back to life in a very realistic way. Alexey Zakharov used a technique where he sliced up antique photos and then carefully animated the various elements, like people, cars, and buildings, to give the appearance of actual moving footage. The resolution and frame-rate look incredible!

Here are some of the images that he used for this time travel animation. We wonder what any of the people would have thought about some guy bringing them back to life 100+ years after they appeared in the pictures!

The video pans and moves around the pictures thanks to the 3D modelling techniques used by artist Alexey Zakharov.

Alexey Zakharov separated moving from static elements after uploading the images into Photoshop. He then added animation to make bring the images to life. Pictured is the Chauncey breaker, 1911 in Plymouth, Pennsylvania

Animated Old Photos of US Cities Takes You On Time Travel. Let us know your views about this time travel film. Share with us in comments below.